Black Coffee and Pumpkin Pie
by mysticalflute
Summary: Minus one kidnapping, Storybrooke is an idyllic, sleepy little town nestled in the Maine countryside. That begins to change when one Neal Cassidy blows into town. (Swanfire/Curious Archer/Rumbelle/Snowing/Outlaw Queen)
1. Chapter 1

Eighteen-year-old Emma Nolan sighed and brushed a piece of hair out of her face as she stood behind the counter of Granny's Diner, watching as one of the few customers they'd had left. It was two o'clock, and in-between rushes on a rainy Thursday afternoon, and she was tired. She'd really only taken the job at Granny's to help pay for a sweet looking, yellow VW bug that Doc was selling at his car lot. Why everyone in Storybrooke called him Doc she didn't understand. He wasn't even a doctor!

Oh well. At least it would be worth it to have the car so she could actually commute to college in the fall instead of having her dad – the town's sheriff – driving her to class everyday. Talk about _embarrassing_. It had been bad enough in high school, when being the daughter of the sheriff had lost its cool factor.

She drummed her fingers against the counter, watching and waving as Belle Gold walked into the diner and grinned a little at the bored look of thirteen-year-old Gideon as he trudged in behind her. Clearly, mother-son lunch wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind for the day.

She made her way over to the table, jotting down their orders before looking up in surprise as the door chimed again. Considering the hour, just Belle and Gideon alone were considered to be a rush.

"I'll be right with you!" she called to the man, who was shaking out his jacket. Emma realized he must not have been used to the cooler summers in Storybrooke… which was strange, and made her curious.

He gave her a thumbs-up as she grabbed an iced tea for Mrs. Gold, a coke for Gideon, and slipped the meal tag to the chef, before making her way over to the man that had entered the diner.

"Welcome to Granny's. What can I get for you?" she asked with a small smile.

"Black coffee," the man said as he looked over the small list of desserts. "And a slice of pumpkin pie."

Emma nodded and smiled. "Coming right up."

As she slid the coffee and pie over to the man, she tilted her head curiously, realizing she had never seen in town before. "So what brings you to Storybrooke, stranger?"

"Is it that obvious when you have new people in town?" he said with a chuckle. "A job."

She tilted her head. "A job?" That was strange. People from other cities didn't exactly transfer to Storybrooke, Maine from Seattle or Tallahassee.

He nodded, shrugging. "I felt like I needed a change from New Orleans."

"Huh."

"Not the answer you were expecting?" he teased, noting the look of surprise on her face.

Emma scoffed, opening her mouth to answer before she was called to get the order for Mrs. Gold and Gideon (two hamburgers, fries, onion rings, and extra pickles that Granny only ever charged _Mr_. Gold for despite her insistence to the contrary) before casually making her way back over to the newcomer.

"Got a place to stay?" she asked curiously. "Real estate isn't exactly the best here."

He shook his head. "I only just got to town. I haven't had time to look for a place yet. Know of anywhere I can stay?"

She grinned, flicking her ponytail over her shoulder. "Well, as luck would have it, there's a bed and breakfast down on Main street. You really can't miss it. Granny owns it too."

He grinned back at her over the lip of his coffee mug. "Do I get a discount on dinner if I stay there?"

"Ha! You'll be lucky if she gives you a discount on anything," she replied with a laugh, leaning in closer. "She even charges Mr. Gold for extra pickles."

The stranger froze slightly at the mention of Mr. Gold, and as much as Emma wanted to ask him more about it, she changed the topic. "Anyway… no, I don't think you can get a discount. She's not exactly an easy woman to deal with. So what sort of job did you move here to take?"

"Firefighter. I just got all of my certifications a couple of months ago and they offered me a job here," he explained.

"Firefighter, huh? That's really brave of you," she replied with a small smile.

He shrugged modestly. "All a part of the job," he said with a chuckle.

She gave him another small smile and a giggle and went back over to her perch at the counter, pulling out her cell phone to check to see if she had any messages from Lily or Alexandra. The three of them had made plans to have one last celebration before the summer ended. Since there wasn't much to do in Storybrooke and they weren't twenty-one so the Rabbit Hole was out, the big party was to be Netflix and popcorn at Lily's place.

But, there were no unread messages on her phone, which was a little frustrating because if Granny caught wind of her only talking to customers instead of doing her job and looking out for more… well, Emma knew as well as anyone in Storybrooke that Granny Lucas' wrath was the most dangerous thing in town.

"Emma!" Gideon called, breaking her from the stupor. "Can I have another coke please?"

" _Half_ a cup," Mrs. Gold added with a look directed at her son as Emma made her way over to their table. "I don't want you to have too much sugar, especially before the party tonight."

Emma grinned as she refilled both cups. "Ooh, a party? What's the occasion, Mrs. Gold?" she asked curiously, taking the drinks back to the table.

Mrs. Gold chuckled and shrugged a little. "It's nothing fancy. We're just having a little family get together to celebrate Aiden's birthday, that's all. His mothers are coming in from Augusta, and my father actually agreed to be cordial. We'll see how long it lasts."

Her eyes widened. "Wow, Mrs. Gold, that's awesome! I hope it works out for you guys. If not, my dad'll come over to take Mr. Gold out to the Rabbit Hole before he kills someone," Emma grinned, making a mental note to warn her father when she got home that he might be on call to the Gold house that night.

"Thanks, Emma. Aiden does enjoy spending time with your father," Mrs. Gold replied, looking a little relieved that there was a possible out if something went wrong.

It wasn't long before Mrs. Gold and Gideon were heading out, leaving just she and the stranger together in the diner.

"What's your name anyway?" Emma asked as she poured him another cup of coffee with a smile.

He grinned up at her as she picked up the empty pie plate. "Do you ask everyone who comes in here their name?"

She laughed. "Storybrooke isn't a big town. I already know everyone. _You're_ the stranger here."

"Name's Neal. Neal Cassidy."

She smiled, holding out her free hand to shake his. "It's nice to meet you, Neal. I'm Emma. Emma Nolan."

He smiled back. "Nice to meet you too, Emma. Oh – I'll take this to go if I can. Looks like it's about to storm and I've got some of my stuff strapped to the roof of my car."

Green eyes followed the man's gaze to the window and she nodded. "Yeah… the weather mentioned something about storms. I'll get you your to-go cup. Here's your bill," she said, ripping the bill from her pad and setting it down on the table. Whistling something under her breath, she set the coffee pot down and grabbed a to-go coffee cup for the man, sliding it to him as he handed over the bill and the cash.

"It's all set. Keep the change," he said, pouring the mug into the cup and sliding out of the booth. "And thanks again for the directions. Hopefully I'll see you around, Emma."

"Don't worry, you will!" she teased, waving as he hurried out the door.

It wasn't until she looked down at the bill and money in her hand that she realized that he'd left her a $20.00 tip on a $6.00 bill.

But he was gone before she could stop him, and before she knew it, Emma was finally relieved of work and was laying on a pillow with a bowl of popcorn at her side. Lily lay next to her and Alexandra had taken command of the sofa. Although to be fair, she had messed up her ankle, so she did need to be keeping it propped.

"So how was work, Emma? Boring as usual?" Lily asked as the opening credits to _Crazy, Stupid, Love_ started.

"Actually, it wasn't bad... well, the end of my shift was good anyway. Apparently, there's a new firefighter in town," she said with a grin. "And he tipped _very_ generously."

That caught their attention immediately, Alexandra nearly rolling off the couch in an attempt to get closer to the conversation.

"What sort of _tip_?" Lily asked with a grin and a wag of her eyebrows.

"Lily!" Emma scoffed, going red at the thought. "He left me more than he needed to, that's all. Especially since he just came into town."

"Yeah Lily, there's plenty of time for _that_ sort of tip to come later," Alexandra added with a wink as she tried to dodge a handful of popcorn Emma threw in her direction.

Emma flopped down and groaned into a pillow. "You guys are ridiculous. I don't know anything about him aside from he's a firefighter from New Orleans!"

"That's never stopped anyone before," Lily shrugged as she took a sip of water. "Besides, if he works here now, there's plenty of time for you to get to know him."

"Lily oh my _God_ ," came Emma's muffled reply.

"I bet that's not the first time you're going to say that about him."

Emma had never wished harder for a portal to another dimension to swallow her whole.

* * *

Neal sighed as he looked out the window of Granny's Bed and Breakfast, rain pelting against the window as thunder rumbled in the dark sky. He'd felt bad, lying to the waitress at the diner about not knowing where the bed and breakfast was, but if he was going to keep up the charade of being new in town, he needed to.

He'd decided to come back to Storybrooke after his mother and step-father had somehow managed to get custody and filled his head with all sorts of stories about his father. Neal didn't know if any of them were true, having been so young when they'd taken him out to Charleston. But by the time he'd turned thirteen, he'd been tired of the stories and had asked for the truth.

They hadn't given it to him, so Neal ran, ending up in New Orleans. Changed his name from Gold to Cassidy and going from Baelfire to his middle name – Neal. He'd been placed in a foster home until he graduated high school. His foster mother had been like a dream (he even had a foster sister, something he hadn't anticipated), and when he'd told her he wanted to find his birth father, she had gone so far as to actually help him look.

She had given him the information the same day he finished training to be a firefighter.

It had been the best graduation present he'd ever gotten.

He made a mental note to send she and her daughter a postcard and a long, _long_ thank-you note and an invitation to visit him whenever they wanted.

Providing, of course, that his father was not as bad as Killian and his mother had claimed he'd been, which was why he was playing the 'lost and new in town' game. He wanted to observe his father and get to know him before he let the truth out.

Seeing the woman supposedly going by Mrs. Gold and her son had been a shock to the system. His father getting remarried and having another son wasn't something he'd considered before, but he supposed he shouldn't have been too surprised. It had been long enough since his parents divorced, although it poked a large hole in his mother's theory of his father not knowing what love was.

Well, Neal _hoped_ it did anyway.

Shaking his head, Neal laid down on the bed and flipped the television on. He was nervous enough about starting his job in the morning. For now, he wanted to put the mess about his family on the back burner until he couldn't hide it anymore.

Slowly, Neal's eyes fell closed as lightning illuminated the night sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Aiden Gold let out a sigh as he sipped at the tea in front of him. He normally hated coming to Granny's, but Gideon had insisted on it upon bringing home the confirmation of his acceptance into Storybrooke's accelerated science program, which was led by Dr. Hyde… which frankly worried Aiden more than the freshness of Granny's lasagna, but if it made Gideon happy, well, he couldn't resist.

"So Gideon, are you excited to start your science program?" he asked weakly as the boy practically inhaled his dinner.

The boy nodded eagerly, licking a bit of beef from his lip. "Yeah, sure am! It'll be great. And I'm really glad Roderick got accepted too!"

"That worries me," Belle said with an amused shake of her head. "You'll actually pay attention to what Dr. Hyde is saying, right?"

Gideon's eyes nearly rolled, but stopped as Aiden shot him a look. "Yeah, I will," the boy grumbled, poking at his chili with a spoon.

Aiden smiled as he watched his wife and son, but there was still pain behind his smile. His elder son, Neal, should have been here with them, celebrating, but that horrible woman he'd first been married to had spirited his son out of Storybrooke in the dead of night with her bastard of a new husband, and Aiden hadn't seen him since, despite Aiden's exhaustive efforts. His fingers gripped the tea cup just a bit harder as he glanced up at an unfamiliar face who had just entered the diner.

"Who is that?" he asked with a small frown.

"Oh, that's the new firefighter. I overheard him talking to Emma last week when mom and I were here," Gideon explained with a shrug. "Don't know what his name is though."

Aiden frowned slightly, looking over at the firefighter, feeling some sort of odd connection to him. But why? He'd never seen the man before in his life.

"Aiden? Are you okay?" Belle asked with a tilt of her head.

He blinked, turning to his wife and smiling. "Yes darling, I'm just fine. Sorry. My head was in the clouds for a moment."

Belle smiled and turned back to her sandwich. Aiden returned the smile, but he still felt a strange pull toward the stranger that was dashing out the door with greasy bags in his hand… and whenever Aiden Gold set his mind on something, he always got his answers.

When he parted ways with his wife and son after lunch, Aiden made his way back to the pawn shop, flipping the sign back to open and making his way into the back room as he pulled out his cell phone, dialing the familiar number.

"Hello, Zelena? It's Aiden. I would like you to start looking into some files for me again," he said when the woman picked up on the other line.

"The ones about your son?" Zelena replied with a sigh. "Aiden, we've been over this with so many people. Lawyers, private investigators… you even harassed Mother Superior about it!"

 _"Because that blue-dressed woman knows more than what she's admitting to_ ," Aiden thought bitterly, before speaking into the phone. "Zelena, please. I need you to look into the files again It's my son's disappearance. I just want an answer."

Zelena exhaled on the other end, and Aiden could see her leaning back against her high-back leather chair, pinching her forehead in annoyance. "Okay. Fine. I'll have the investigators open the case again. I'll call you if anything new comes up."

"That's all I ask, dearie. That's all I ask…" he said, ending the call and smirking, sitting back in his chair. Whoever that man was, Aiden Gold _would_ get his answers.

* * *

Though the only photograph Neal had seen of his father had been from a decade ago, he recognized the man anywhere, even without the help of seeing his step-mother and half-brother. He'd felt a cold chill go down his spine at the quick look he'd gotten of the man, even though he knew this was exactly why he had wanted to come to Storybrooke. So many things had whirled through his mind: did his father recognize him? What would the man's reaction even be to seeing his long-missing son again? Hell, even how he would react to seeing his father again wasn't something Neal was sure of.

He forced himself not to shiver as he made his way back to the firehouse, clutching the bags of takeout in his hands. Being the delivery boy for lunch wasn't something he'd thought he'd be doing as a firefighter, but he supposed that, being the low man on the totem pole meant running around doing these errands when there was downtime.

"Cassidy! Well done! And you got back in the time allotted," Chief Hood said with a wide smile as he took the bags out of Neal's hands.

"Thank you sir," Neal replied with a smile.

Being hired in as a firefighter had been one thing, but it was another thing entirely once he'd actually gotten started at work. Then the real test began – impressing the boss in person, and quite frankly, that was more terrifying than finding out information he didn't want to know about his father, because Chief Hood could fire him if he wasn't careful.

"Now go on and enjoy the rest of your lunch," Robin told him with a squeeze of his shoulder.

Neal nodded and made his way over to one of the free seats in the dining room, taking a bite of the club sandwich he'd ordered.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"

He almost choked, looking at the source of the voice. "Did you just quote _Alice in Wonderland_ to me?"

"On the contrary, I quoted The Mad Hatter to you," the man replied with a smug look on his face. "So, rookie, do you have any guesses as to why a raven is like a writing desk?"

Neal blinked in disbelief. Was this guy serious?

"Jefferson, are you torturing the new guy with your stupid riddles again?" another voice cut in, the man taking a seat next to Neal. "You don't have to answer him. He just does this to try to freak out the rookies."

The first man – Jefferson – rolled his eyes. "Do you have to ruin my fun every time there's a new person? It's not like we get them very often! So what do you think, new guy?"

"Uh… I don't know. Raven wings could be used to make a quill that someone uses to write with at their desk?" he suggested weakly.

Jefferson's eyes widened, seemingly impressed. "Wow. That's actually a good one. The going theory has something to do with Edgar Alan Poe, but I like your guess better. I'm Jefferson. Welcome to the department."

"Ali," the second man said, holding out his hand. "We heard about you. You're Neal, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I just started today."

"It's nice to have a new face around here. Just stick by us and you'll be perfectly fine," Ali said with a grin that suggested Neal was instead in for a wild ride with those two. "So if there's anything you wanna know about our charming little town, just let us know."

He had no idea what he got himself into, but he smiled anyway. He _should_ probably make friends in this town, right? He was far from New Orleans and the friends he had there after all… and he was here for answers. Maybe these guys could help him out with those answers.

"Hey, do you guys know anything about Mr. Gold?"

The two men's faces changed in an instant, dropping in surprise and… was that a bit of fear Neal noted on Jefferson's?

"Why do you want to know about Mr. Gold?" Jefferson asked.

Neal paused, taking the time to chew and swallow a bite of his sandwich before answering. "I saw him staring at me when I was picking up the lunch orders today. Does he… do that a lot to people?"

Jefferson and Ali exchanged another look, but it was Ali who finally spoke up. "Well… he is a bit of a suspicious guy. He always has been as far as I know. Apparently his kid went missing years ago, so every time someone comes to town he's immediately on alert. At least, that's what they say around town. I was only a baby when it happened. But there's probably some information on it in the library."

"Which just so happens to be run by his wife," Jefferson added. "But Mr. Gold's been suspicious way before his kid was taken. It's just sort of his thing, you know? Gold is the big bad brooding shopkeeper, Mrs. Nolan is the principal who can go from either giving you a unicorn sticker to kicking your ass in the parking lot after school. You know, normal small town things, right?"

"Uh… I guess? I came from New Orleans though so I'm not sure. This is the smallest town I've ever been in. But from what I've seen in movies I guess that sounds right?" He'd never heard of the ass-kicking principal before, but he knew he should probably try to avoid her if he could.

"The Big Easy? And you came to a little dump town like this?" Ali asked, staring at Neal as if he'd grown a second head.

He shrugged. "Peace and quiet. And after a while the humidity in New Orleans got to be a bit much."

"You went from one extreme to the other. The winters here are awful," Ali said, shivering a little at the thought. "And it's already late summer. Ugh, I can feel the cold already!"

Jefferson rolled his eyes. "And I'm the dramatic one? God Ali. Ignore him, Neal. He just wasn't made for the cold. It can get bad here, but you'll grow to love it."

Ali let out a snort before the alarm began to screech over their heads, causing them to jump from their seats and run for the truck as they pulled on their equipment. Neal had to admit, he didn't think that his first fire in a small town like Storybrooke would happen on his first day on the job.

"There's been a cave-in at the old mines. Some teenagers were down there and the roof caved in around them," the dispatcher said over the radio as Jefferson and Ali both swore loudly as Jefferson silently climbed in the back. Whatever this was, it was obvious that it had happened before and seemed to be a major thorn in the sides of his superiors.

The bright red truck streaked down the road, causing the few pedestrians to turn their heads in alarm. A few of them had their eyes widening when they realized what direction the truck was heading in.

"Alright men, you know what we have to do," Chief Hood said with a small sigh as they stood in front of the mine, the sheriff and a few other officers already trying to block people from getting too close.

"Who goes down this time, Chief?" Jefferson asked. "I went last time."

Chief Hood looked conflicted as he glanced at the men surrounding him, before finally sighing. "Ali. This time it's on you."

Neal noted irritation on the man's face as he silently nodded as walked off to get ready. Biting his lip, Neal carefully made his way over to the chief, who was already looking as done with the day as someone could possibly be.

"Is this common? Teenagers going into those mines?" he asked.

The older man pressed his lips together, thinking. "It happens more often than I'd like it to, I'll say that. But I wouldn't say it's extraordinarily common. But every time we go down to rescue them, I think this will be the last time and it never is. Teenagers never learn."

He nodded slowly. "Well, I just hope that with this cave-in, it won't be possible for them to get down there anymore," Neal said.

"Start hoping that everyone down there is alive instead," the older man snapped before walking off to Neal's confusion.

"Don't worry. That wasn't personal. Last time we were called to go into the mines, his son, Roland, was part of the group we pulled out of there. He's worried that Roland will be down there again," Jefferson said from behind him.

Neal winced. "I'm sorry I asked about people going down there then."

The other man waved him off, leading him in the direction of the opening of the mine. "Don't apologize. It's not like you know this town like the rest of us do. I bet Chief Hood's already forgotten about it. Besides, all that we need to focus on is saving the kids and _not_ dropping Ali down there with them and running the other way. Now come on. Let's go see if we can make contact with them."

Neal and Jefferson managed to clear a free spot to lower Ali down, Neal shining a light down to one of the frantic teens below. They seemed to be standing on some sort of elevator. How did they even get down there?

"Oi! How many of you are down there?" he yelled to a blonde boy who was shielding his eyes from the light from the sun and the camera Neal was slowly lowering down into the dungeon.

"T-there's only two of us! Please hurry!" the boy replied, coughing as dust rose into the air from some unstable rocks around them.

Two was way too many in Neal's opinion, but he nodded. "Okay, just hold on. We're going to get you guys out of there!" he called down to them before looking at Chief Hood. "There's two of them sir!"

Chief Hood approached them. "Sir, we're all ready," Ali said, tugging anxiously at the harness around his waist and looking uneasily at the hole.

"Good. Let's start then."

Neal watched on a video screen as Ali was lowered down into the mines, repressing a shiver. How could people be so stupid to go down into an abandoned mine? And not just once, but repeatedly? He had a feeling that this was going to be what the majority of his calls were going to be for.

"Okay Ali, we're right on target. You're about ten feet out," he said into the walkie-talkie on his shoulder. He could hear the anxious whispers of the gathered public, chancing a glance at them and spotting his father almost instantly. He tore his eyes away, looking at the camera screen again.

"I've got one of the kids, pull us up!" Ali's voice said. "And make sure there's a paramedic nearby. He's going to need some help."

He stood, waving over the paramedics as a woman dressed in a black business suit walked up to the sheriff, her lips pulled down into a frown.

Ali emerged with one of the teenagers a few moments later and the paramedics wasted no time in lifting the boy onto the stretcher and running back to the ambulance, hiding themselves from the prying eyes of the crowd as Ali went back down into the mine to get the other teenager, Neal continuing to monitor the cameras.

Something inside the mine suddenly creaked, the sound of the metal groaning sending a collective chill down everyone's spines. Neal saw Chief Hood's eyes widen as his hand reached for the walkie-talkie on his shoulder.

"Ali, get the kid as quick as you can. That elevator is going to go at any minute!" Chief Hood shouted.

"Chief, you're not going to like this. It's Bobby," Ali said on the other end of the line. "And he doesn't look like he's doing so good. I've got him hooked up, so bring us up."

Neal knew that the kid being named by Ali wasn't a good thing, and he was worried as the rest of the squad seemed to freeze for a moment before working frantically to get the duo up and out of the mine.

There was another crash, this one much louder, and caused the ground to rumble beneath their feet before Ali and Bobby were pulled up, and Neal's eyes widened in fear, but the machine kept pulling. Something was coming up, but what?

"Someone grab him, _now_!" Ali's voice shouted from the cavern before his black hair and the blonde hair of the teenager peeked through the smaller opening of the mine. The paramedics wasted no time in snatching the teenager up and running to the second ambulance they had on the scene. The first ambulance's doors opened and the teenager stepped out, having gotten a clearance from the paramedics inside, while the second ambulance sped away.

"Who was the other kid we rescued?" Neal asked Ali as he watched Chief Hood's somber form go over to the sheriff and the woman in the black pantsuit.

"Robert Nolan," Ali explained as the sheriff's car went speeding down the street, "he's the sheriff's son."


	3. Chapter 3

_"Wow Neal, so you helped rescue two kids out of a mine?! Talk about a first day! The only thing that happened on my first day was me nearly dropping Charlotte's order all over the place."_

Neal laughed, leaning back in his chair as he held his phone in front of him, his adoptive sister's face on the screen. It was surprisingly empty in this part of the station, which he was thankful for given the topic of conversation. "Well firefighting and waitressing are two different jobs, and it's not like I was the one that went down there. But I'm sure something exciting will happen to you. You're still in the big city, remember?"

 _"Yeah yeah. Hey, Mama wanted to know if you've met your dad yet."_

He shook his head. "No, not yet. I'm just gathering information right now. Seeing what he's all about, you know?"

 _"You find anything interesting out?"_

"Not – "

"Hey! Neal! Where are you?!" Ali's voice suddenly cried out. "We've got a visitor you need to meet!"

Neal grinned a little. "In the library!" he called back, turning to the phone again. "Duty calls. I'll call you later Tiana."

 _"Talk to you later, Neal!"_

Neal ended the FaceTime call with Tiana as Ali burst into the room.

"Come on slowpoke! Who the hell were you talking to all the way over here?" Ali said with a laugh. "Mayor Mills-Hood is here."

"My sister," he said, pausing. "The Mayor? Why is she here?"

"Did you miss the name? Mayor Mills- _Hood_. She comes to visit all the time when she has a break from work… and besides, she's the sheriff's mother-in-law," Ali said. "I think she brought a pan of her famous lasagna so let's hurry up before it's gone!"

Neal could only blink as Ali dragged him into the dining room.

"Ah! There you are Neal," Captain Hood said. "I'd like to introduce you to Regina Mills-Hood. My wife and the mayor of Storybrooke."

Neal's stomach twisted into an uncomfortable bundle of nerves as he held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Madam Mayor."

"And you as well. I just wanted to stop by and thank you for helping to save my grandson from the mines," Regina said, her polite smile dropping into a look of concern. "He's still in the hospital with some lung problems. I'm not sure if it was the smoke from when the tunnel started to collapse or something else but..."

Neal frowned. "I'm so sorry Mayor Mills. I hope he makes a quick recovery." The kid hadn't looked good when they'd pulled him out, and he hated to find out that his suspicion had been right.

Regina nodded a little. "Thank you for your concern Mr. Cassidy. The family truly does appreciate it," Regina let out a small sigh and rubbed at her arm. "My step-daughter hasn't slept all that well. I'm glad she has the support of the school and the community."

She looked around the station again and gave Neal another polite smile. "I won't keep you any longer. The boys here love the lasagna so you'd better hurry and grab a serving. I just wanted to say welcome to Storybrooke."

Neal nodded, letting out a breath when she turned and walked out of the station.

"Well that went better than I thought it would," Ali said, handing him a plate of the steaming lasagna. "You should've seen what happened when Jefferson met Mayor Mills for the first time."

"In my defense, my first time meeting her was at the hospital after we'd put out the fire at the cannery and we had people demanding information. No one warned me that she was the mayor!" Jefferson cut in with a scowl on his face. "It was my first day as well as Victor's so neither of us were prepared for that! We just thought she was a reporter!"

"Sure you did," Ali said with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey! Don't forget, I pulled your ass out of the mine when you were a student," Jefferson scowled.

That got Ali to shut up, and Neal had to hide his laughter behind a cough.

"Anyway… why don't we show you around town? Not that there's much to see but it's the least we could do for a new friend," Jefferson suggested.

"I'd like that. Thanks…" Neal replied with a smile.

The rest of the shift went off without much excitement, and before long, Neal was sandwiched between the two more experienced firefighters, wandering down the streets of Storybrooke.

Ali clapped his arm around Neal's shoulders, pointing at a building in the distance. "That's the animal shelter there. My girlfriend Jasmine works there. She's training to be a vet."

"I'm sure she'll become a great vet," Neal replied awkwardly. He'd only ever had one girlfriend, and it hadn't ended well when he'd caught her cheating the night of prom.

"And what about you, dear Neal? Don't you have a lovely girl or guy back in the Big Easy waiting for you to return?"

Was Jefferson reading his mind? Neal got the distinct feeling that Jefferson was reading his mind. Still, Jefferson and Ali were giving him matching curious, almost puppy dog-like looks, so Neal finally let out a sigh and shook his head.

"No. I'm single. Which is probably for the best, considering the move."

"Ah! Then you'll have plenty of fun in this town!" Jefferson said with a wide grin. "But really, you should find a date to the Fireman's Ball."

Neal furrowed his brow. "The what?"

"No one warned you about that? Honestly, it's like they dropped you in the deep end without any floaties! The Fireman's Ball is the biggest fundraiser for the department. Most of the town usually comes out to party with us. It's in two weeks," Jefferson explained. "The firefighters have the first dance, so everyone has a date."

"That sounds like something out of Harry Potter," Neal said with a slow blink.

"Well, maybe J.K Rowling just stole the idea for the Yule Ball from us."

Ali rolled his eyes. " _Yeeeeeah_ , and I'm Stephen King." He turned to Neal then and gave him a grin. "A date isn't necessary, Neal, but Jefferson is right that most of the town shows up for it. Even if you don't have a date that night you'll be able to find someone to dance with there. But no, _we_ don't get the first dance. Captain Hood and Mayor Mills-Hood do. Jefferson just has this strange habit of trying to play matchmaker for the town."

"Oh." Neal had to admit, he was a bit surprised. Most of the people that he knew that ever tried to play matchmaker were women. "Well I'm sure the Fireman's Ball will be a fun night regardless," he said with a smile.

Ali shrugged. "Truthfully, I think Jasmine enjoys it more than I do. I was never one to like to get dressed up and stuff but Jasmine grew up in that sort of world so she's used to it. I'd rather not have my shirt buttoned all the way up to my neck."

Neal laughed. "That's a fair point."

Ali grinned at him. "Seriously, don't worry about Jefferson. He's harmless. Usually." Ali ducked a playful smack from Jefferson before continuing. "C'mon, why don't we head to Granny's for dinner?"

"Ahh sorry I'd love to, but it's open house at the school and I have to go meet Grace's teachers," Jefferson said, smacking his forehead. "Pricilla and Victor would kill me if I was late. Even if Grace told me she doesn't want us there. I'll see you later."

"Pricilla? Grace?" Neal asked with a small frown as Jefferson wandered off down the street.

Ali nodded. "Pricilla is Jefferson's ex-wife. Grace is their daughter. The three of them have a great relationship so they all do the school stuff together. Even if it embarrasses Grace."

Neal laughed. "Just like any father would, right?"

Ali shrugged as they wandered into the diner and found a booth. "Wouldn't know, really. My dad was kind of… not the greatest guy in the world. He was a thief. Started bringing me up to be the same. One day he found out about the mines and heard that there could be gold or jewels or some bullshit like that down there. He was too big, so I went down. The mine closed in on me, like what happened the day you started here. Jefferson saved me. Took me under his wing. Dad was arrested and he's doing time in the state prison. I haven't seen him since. Frankly, I don't want to."

He stared at the man. "Shit Ali. I'm sorry, that's horrible."

"It's fine. It's in the past now."

Neal scratched the back of his neck before smiling gratefully as the blonde waitress stepped over to their table. Oh, it was the same waitress he'd had the day he'd arrived to town.

"Emma! I'm surprised you're working," Ali said with a small frown. "How's Robert?"

Emma only shrugged. "Spending time in the hospital gets to be a bit much. I can't really stand to be near my mom as she cries so much. Too depressing. At least I have school and work to take my mind off it all." Her face screwed up into one of distress. "You guys know what you want yet?"

"Chicken sandwich. You know how I like it. And a coke." Ali said immediately.

"Uh… I'll take a burger. Medium. With lettuce, tomato and grilled onions… with fries and a lemonade," Neal told her as her pen scribbled along the pad.

Emma nodded, giving them a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sure. I'll get that right out for you guys."

Neal looked at Ali with a small frown as Emma walked over to the kitchen. "So… she's related to the kid we saved?"

"Yeah. Emma's the oldest of the Nolan family. There's three total – Emma, Robert and Eva. Good kids, all of them. When they aren't going down into the mines of course."

He snorted in amusement, and before long, Emma was back with the order, sliding the two plates in front of the men with a polite smile. "There you guys go. Anything else you need?"

Neal looked at the ketchup bottle she'd passed over to him and bit his lip. "Yeah actually, if it isn't too much trouble, I'd like a small side of mayo, if that's alright."

Emma gave him a more genuine smile, a small chuckle and a wink following. "It's not the weirdest thing anyone's ever asked me to get for them. This is no problem. Be right back."

When she returned, he grinned, taking the ketchup and squirting a fair amount of it in with the mayo. "Thanks Emma. Growing up in the Big Easy, you can't have fries without fry sauce." Of course, he knew this wouldn't even _remotely_ compare to Tiana's, but it was better than nothing.

"Huh."

Neal looked up in surprise to find Emma still standing next to him. "Uh… something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing's wrong exactly. It's just… I haven't seen anyone in town mix mayo and ketchup mixed together except for Mr. Gold."

Her words shot through him like a blast of cold water, and he masked his shock with a sip of lemonade before trying to give her a casual shrug. "Well… Mr. Gold has good tastes then. Maybe's visited the Big Easy himself and got a taste for it," he said with a small shrug, busying himself with his fries again. "Thanks again Emma. Gives me a small comfort of New Orleans."

The blonde let out a soft giggle. "Well, you guys enjoy. I'll be back to check on you."

He wasn't sure what to make of this new information about his father at all, but it did give him a small bit of comfort to know that he had something in common with the man.

…And he had to admit, that little giggle Emma let out was pretty damn cute.

* * *

Zelena looked up from her book, listening and watching Neal Cassidy carefully. He did fit the basics as to what Baelfire Gold would be now nineteen years after his disappearance, but of course, it was very basic information… but the information about the ketchup-mayo combination could have been something.

It was a speck, but sometimes in the personal investigative business, all she had were specks. Sometimes they panned out, but many times they didn't.

She didn't often go out and do investigations of her own anymore, being a social worker with a handful of investigators of her own meant she was stuck with paperwork most of the time, but with Aiden Gold, it was different. Tumultuous as their relationship was, when it came to a missing child, Zelena Mills had promised to do her best to find him. Especially in the way Milah and Killian had just up and disappeared from the town.

So she observed, sipping at her tea and making small notes in her notebook, until the two firefighters departed, and then, when she knew no one else was looking, Zelena rose from her seat and slid Neal Cassidy's straw into the plastic bag she had on her.

Specks were nice, but if she could get a fire burning, well… that would be even better.

Slipping a tip on her table, Zelena quietly paid for her meal and made her way to her car, dialing a number on her phone as she did so.

 _"Yes?"_

"Walsh my darling. I need a favor."

Walsh let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. _"Well, that's never a good sign. What is it now?"_

"I'm working a case for Aiden Gold."

 _"An even worse sign."_

"It's his son. He's suspicious about the new firefighter."

 _"Oh? And what do you have cooked up in your head in order to help him, Zelena?"_

"I have a straw Mr. Cassidy used. Will that be sufficient to get DNA off of?"

Zelena could hear Walsh's fingers tapping against a desk, the man letting out another sigh. _"I'll try the straw, but you know it's easier when it's a lock of hair. But I'll do my best on it."_

"I know you will, Walsh."

Ending the call, Zelena slipped her phone into her pocket and drove the short distance to the lab. Sure, it was shady, considering she could have just gone to the forensics lab that the sheriff used, but Walsh got results faster than them, with little red tape. For Zelena, it was better that way.

Especially when one was working for Aiden Gold.

Zelena slipped easily through the halls of the lab, giving Walsh a sly smile. "Hello darling," she said with a smirk. "Thanks for agreeing to see me on such short notice."

"I always make time for you, Zelena," Walsh replied, giving her a weary nod. "For this town's sake, I hope you've got something. The results should be in in about a month."

She bristled. "A month?! Walsh, you know this needs to be done faster than the police!"

"Yeah, I know that Zelena, but the police are kind of breathing down my neck right now so I need to be careful. I know this case is important. I know it involves Gold. But I can't put my life and career at risk like this."

Well, he had her there. Even though she was a private investigator, she was still at the mercy of David Nolan, and even though Robert was in the hospital and he'd be busy, that didn't stop him from making sure she was in line.

"Okay. Just tell me when the results are in," she relented, turning and making her way out of the office with a heavy sigh. She paused when she felt her phone buzz as she got to her car, eyes widening when she saw she had a text from her daughter, Margot. She'd been traveling for so long and Zelena hadn't seen her in months. Her heart thundered against her chest as she opened the text anxiously.

 _Hey Mom. I'm home._


	4. Chapter 4

"You're sure you're ready to introduce me to your family?" Alice asked, still sitting in the passenger's seat of Margot's car, playing with the lace on her shirt.

Margot smiled and kissed her head. "Of course I am. It's been almost a year after all. It's time for you to meet them. They'll love you, I promise. My family is super accepting, don't worry. None of them are anything like your mom."

Alice shivered a little at the memory of introducing Margot to her mother. It hadn't ended well, and she and Margot had been traveling Europe trying to forget the tantrum her mother had thrown. Despite Margot's assurance that her family was going to be more accepting of their relationship, Alice still felt a bit uneasy.

"Are you okay?" Margot asked with a small frown.

Alice nodded. "Yes. I trust you, Margot. With my life."

Margot looked out the window and smiled as a car pulled up behind them. "That's my mom. I'll be right back. I'll wave to you when I'm ready." With that, she hopped out of the car and ran up to her mother, leaving the door open so Alice could hear their conversation.

"I had no idea you'd be home. If you'd called ahead of time I would have been home by the time you got back. I hope you haven't been waiting too long," Margot's mother said with a smile.

"No, not too long at all. Traffic was a nightmare getting through Augusta or we would have been here sooner."

"'We'? Margot, who is ' _we'_?"

Margot's cheeks flushed a brilliant pink, before she waved Alice over. With a bright smile and a bounce in her step, Alice hopped out of the car and waved.

"Mom… this is Alice Jones. My girlfriend."

The mother paused for a moment, looking at the pair of them together, before giving the women a warm smile. "Oh. Oh Margot I'm so happy for you! Hello Alice. My name's Zelena. Welcome to Storybrooke."

Alice gave Zelena a relieved look. "It's so nice to meet you Zelena. Margot told me so much about you and Storybrooke that I just had to come with her when she said she was ready to come home."

 _And to get away from my crazy mother._

Chuckling, Zelena shook her head. "That's my daughter for you, wanderlust has her heart, but it looks like you've managed to fight it off. But Margot," she said, her tone turning urgent as she looked at her again, "it really is a good thing you've come home. I don't know if my message got through, but Bobby's been in the hospital for a week now. He was in the abandoned mines and got trapped."

Margot's face fell. "What? Oh no! I should get to the hospital right away."

"I'll take you. Here darling, get your things in the house and we'll go. Alice… would you like to come with us?"

Alice was surprised at the question. "I – me? I dunno, that seems like something you guys should do by yourelves. Trust me. I can even make dinner if you want. Though… it'd only be marmalade sandwiches but – "

"Alice, I want you there. If it's as bad as Mom says, I'm going to want you there with me. Besides, I'm sure the family wouldn't mind meeting you, even if it is under this set of circumstances," Margot said softly. "You might be the thing they need to cheer up somewhat."

"You think so?"

"I do."

"Well… alright then," Alice said with a weak smile.

Soon enough, Zelena was leading Margot and Alice down the hall to Bobby's hospital room, where two adults, whom Alice could only assume were his parents.

"Aunt Mary? Uncle David?" Margot said softly.

"Hm? Oh! Margot! Zelena, you didn't tell us she was home," Mary-Margaret said with a small smile as she stood and embraced her.

Zelena smiled. "It was a surprise to me too, Mary-Margaret. You know I would've told you otherwise. And she brought someone along with her, I hope that's okay."

Alice shuffled nervously as she looked at the pair. Maybe it _was_ a bad idea for her to come right now…

"Oh – no, of course it's fine. We trust her," the dark-haired woman said as she rose from her chair. "My name is Mary-Margaret Nolan, and this is my husband David. And, you are?"

"My name is Alice. Alice Jones. It's nice to meet you both. I'm sorry it isn't under the best circumstances though," Alice said with a shy smile and she shook both of their hands. "I'm Margot's girlfriend."

"It's a pleasure, Alice. Welcome to Storybrooke," David said. "If there's anything you need, feel free to find me at the sheriff's station. I'm the seriff."

Alice gave David a bright smile, lighting up at the mention of a sheriff. "Oh! My papa's a detective in Seattle! I think you'd really like him!"

David smiled. "Is he now? Always nice to hear of another police officer."

Alice nodded, before looking at the boy in the bed and biting her lip. "So… this is your son, right? What happened?"

"Storybrooke was a mining community when it was first founded, but we eventually closed them down. Despite how well-sealed the mines were, teenagers always managed to find a way inside. We'd hoped, with David being the sheriff and being at every rescue, that our kids would know better than to go down there but…" Mary-Margaret explained with a resigned shrug. "The mine shaft he was in began to collapse, so there was a lot of dust that got into his lungs. We're hoping the damage isn't permanent."

She could only stare at Mary-Margaret. "Oh – I'm so sorry, Mary-Margaret. I hope he gets better soon."

"Thank you Alice. It was so nice of you to come."

"Can I ask another question?"

"Of course; I have nothing to hide."

"Are you and Zelena sisters? Margot talked about all of you but, no offense, you don't look all that much like Zelena," Alice asked. She was insanely curious about that fact, despite knowing that it could be a little offensive, and she inwardly kicked herself for saying it out loud to a woman whose son was laying in a hospital bed.

To Alice's surprise, Mary-Margaret actually chuckled softly and shook her head. "No, Zelena and I aren't sisters. The story is a little more complicated than that. See – "

Mary-Margaret was cut off from her story at the sudden sound of choking. Robert Nolan's eyes were wide open, and he coughed around the tube in his throat.

"Doctor Whale!" David screamed, and Alice stepped out of the room with wide eyes to give the family some privacy as a doctor and several nurses raced by her.

 _"Well, this is going much better than it did with my mother!"_ She thought, pleased with how things were turning out. _"Despite something happening with Bobby, of course. I hope he's okay. That sounded bad…"_

She paused when she saw a pair of men walking down the hallway. Was that…? No, it couldn't be.

Could it?

"Bae?" she said with wide eyes as she looked at one of the men.

Neither man seemed to pay much attention, with one of them turning and walking down another hallway.

Huh.

"Hello to you too!" the second man said, waving to her. Briefly, Alice was confused, wondering when she'd greeted him, until she realized that 'hey' started a lot like 'Bae'.

Alice cleared her throat. "Yes, hello. Are you going to visit Robert?"

"I am," he replied. "Come with a card from the fire station and everything. You were visiting him too, I assume? I don't recognize you though."

"Oh – I'm Alice. I'm Margot Mills' girlfriend," Alice replied with a small smile. "I came here with her."

"Pleasure to meet you Alice. I'm Ali. Margot huh? I didn't realize she was back in town. Anyway, are they accepting visitors?"

Alice could only shrug. "I dunno. He started coughing and the doctor and nurses ran in so I stepped outside. I don't know what happened after that."

Ali frowned. "Oh geez. I'll go check. Thanks. And it was nice to meet you again."

"You too Ali!" Alice said in a chipper tone, continuing down the hallway, a spring in her step. She glanced down the hallway the man that she'd seen with Ali disappear down. She didn't see him again though, which caused a small frown appear on her face. Why did he seem to be so familiar, despite the distance they'd had?

Ah, well. Maybe she was wrong. That happened sometimes. Instead of dwelling on it, Alice paused in front of a vending machine, glancing through the options.

"Would you like anything, Alice?"

She started, looking over to find Zelena next to her.

"Oh – I don't know. I'm just browsing," Alice said.

"You look like you're deep in thought. Is everything okay?"

Alice shrugged. "Well, yes or no? I'm not too sure actually. Ali, that man that just went into Bobby's room? There was someone else with him."

Zelena frowned. "Was there? Ali was the only one to come inside…"

"Yeah, but that's because the other guy walked down another hallway. I would just shrug it off since maybe he's here to visit someone else but… I don't know, Zelena, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he looked a lot like my cousin before he ran away…"

She didn't notice the look in Zelena's eyes, quickly masked by a face of concern. "Your cousin ran away? Well… you know Alice, I'm a private investigator, if you'd like, I can help you find him. Why don't you tell me all about him?"

Alice beamed at the woman. "Thank you Zelena, that would be amazing!"

* * *

Neal felt his hands shaking as he ducked down a far hallway from where his intended destination. Shit. _Shit_. What the hell was Alice doing here? Why was she here?

More importantly, what was he going to do?

Tugging at his hair, Neal exhaled slowly. Dammit all. As much as he'd liked hanging around Alice before he'd run away from home, he really didn't want her to blow things for him right now. Looking around, Neal dropped into a free chair in the small lounge he'd found and put his phone to his ear.

 _"Neal, honey, what's the matter?"_ Eudora's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Mama…" he breathed, keeping his eyes peeled for anyone that could be coming near. "I need some advice. Badly."

 _"Of course, what is it?"_

"It's my cousin. My stepfather's niece. She's here in town. I haven't seen him since I ran away from them and… I don't want her to recognize me."

 _"So let me guess, you ran down another street so she wouldn't see you or talk to you?_ " she guessed with a small hum. _"Thus making her more suspicious if she had any to begin with?"_

"Well, I…"

 _"Neal… you know you're going to have to tell your daddy you're there soon, right?"_

"I know, Mama. But I'm still trying to find information on him before I tell him I'm here," Neal sighed. "He seems shady, like Mom and Killian would say."

 _"That doesn't mean they're right about everything regarding him. You know that."_

"I know…"

 _"Besides, maybe you can recruit her to help keep your secret. You told me she was the only one out of your family that you trusted in the end. I'm sure you can trust her now, Neal. And remember, if you ever want to come home…"_

"I know. I can go back to New Orleans."

Eudora chuckled an affirm. _"You should come back soon though. I'm sure Tiana would love to see you back home. And we could really use your help at the restaurant."_

He laughed softly. "I'll see what time off I can get, mama. I promise."

 _"Of course. I wouldn't want to take you away from your work, honey. Call me soon, okay?"_

"I will. Bye, Mama."

Neal ended the call, feeling slightly calmer now that he'd spoken with Eudora. Maybe she was right. Maybe letting Alice in on his plans wouldn't be such a terrible idea.

He just hoped she wasn't too suspicious of him already.

A few days later, Neal found himself sitting at the counter at Granny's.

"Did you want anything else, Neal?" Emma asked with a smile as she slid over his plate of food. "Maybe some mayo so you can make that ketchup-mayo stuff you seem so keen on?"

He laughed. "You actually remembered that? But yeah, sure, I'd love some, if it isn't too much trouble."

"Not at all. It's my pleasure."

He laughed. "Wow, you're really working for a big tip aren't you?" he teased.

"Well, you know, cars are expensive. And I might be planning a trip with some of my friends and I want a little spending money," she hummed in response.

His brow raised as she slid a small thing of mayo over to him. "A trip, huh? Where are you going?"

Emma beamed. "My friends and I are planning to head to New Orleans actually. For spring break. I'd love to be able to go over the winter break but with Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Years in December, it's a bit hectic."

Neal smiled, stirring the ketchup and mayo together. "New Orleans, really? That's ironic. If you want me to give you some good, local places to go to just let me know. Those are the best places to be, not necessarily the tourist traps."

"Really? That'd be great! Thanks Neal!"

"Course, any time."

"I get off at five if you want to come by the farm and talk about it."

He blinked in surprise. "Uh. Are you sure? Aren't your parents going to be busy with Robert and everything?"

She waved off the worry. "My parents won't mind. Besides, Bobby's actually doing better, so they've relaxed a lot in the last few days. He woke up! And the doctors say his levels are going back to normal! It's really amazing, even if I still want to kill him for scaring us like that in the first place."

"I can't say I blame you," Neal replied with a small laugh and taking out his phone to check the time. "Alright. I'll hang out here at 5:00 and you can show me the way."

"See you tonight," Emma said with a small wink and a giggle that had Neal's heart beating just a little bit faster.

Neal nodded as she wandered off to check on some of the tables, and began eat until the door opened, and Alice walked in, holding hands with another woman.

He hid a smile behind his glass and nodded to Alice once when he caught her staring.

"Is that you, Bae?" she murmured, leaning against the stool next to him.

He glanced around, making sure no one was around before answering. "Yes. It's been a long time, Alice."

"Where have you been? Do you know how worried we've been about you?" Alice whispered. "Why did you do that, Bae? Why did you leave?"

Neal exhaled. "Please, don't call me that. I go by Neal now. I'm here to figure out my past."

"What?"

"My dad and everything. Alice, please don't tell anyone. You're the only one I trusted before I ran away. I'm trusting you again with this."

Alice's eyes got wide. "I – yes, okay. I'll keep your secret. I promise. I won't even tell Papa you're here. I'm just… I'm just so glad to see you B – Neal. I'm so glad you're okay."

Neal smiled at her and squeezed her shoulder. "I'm glad to see you too, Alice. I missed you."

"Alice! You ready to sit down?"

Alice looked over and grinned at the woman that had called her, nodding. "Be right there!" With another glance at Neal, she whispered "girlfriend", before heading over to the booth where the other woman waited.

Neal leaned against the counter with a smile. Damn, he was glad to have an ally in this town.

"This must be a bit of a culture shock for you, huh?" Emma asked as they made their way up to the large farmhouse later that evening. "Coming from New Orleans and all."

Neal nodded. "Yeah, kinda. What's your dad even farm, anyway?"

"Vegetables, mostly. But we have sheep and a couple cows. You'd never guess that Dad's such a country boy when you see him in action, but he really is."

He chuckled. "Well it's a nice farm. I'm sure my sister would be in awe of the fresh produce here. She loves to cook."

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah, Tiana. She's the one that encouraged me to come here, actually."

"What, was she that desperate to get rid of you?" she teased, pushing the front door open. "Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

"Hey sweetheart. Your dad took Eva to the hospital to visit Bobby," Mary-Margaret said as she appeared from what Neal could only assume was the dining room. "Oh? Who is this?"

"I'm Neal Cassidy. I just arrived in town a couple of weeks ago. I'm a firefighter. Emma asked me here to help her plan her trip to New Orleans."

She smiled. "Oh yes, of course. Regina mentioned you the other day when she was over. It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Mary-Margaret, the principal of the elementary school. I'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but thank you for helping to save my son."

"All part of the job, ma'am. It's nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you from the guys at the station," he said politely.

Mary-Margaret laughed lightly. "Oh I'm sure. Alright, I'll let you guys plan the trip Emma. But Neal? Just make sure they're safe?"

He nodded, taking a seat at the table with Emma. "Of course I will. I promise."

They were left alone, Emma pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. "Okay! Spill all the details about New Orleans."

So he did, and the dining room was filled with laughter, their chairs slowly getting closer and closer, their cheeks flushing pink at the shared charge in the room.

Finally, Neal decided to do something about it. "Hey uh – Emma… did you maybe wanna go to the Fireman's Ball with me? It's coming up soon and I really don't know what I'm doing."

Emma looked up at him and grinned. "I'd like that Neal. I'd like that a lot."

While he couldn't have imagined that this was where the night would go, Neal had to admit, he didn't exactly mind, and he returned to Granny's that night with a clear head and a spring in his step.

He may not have had much information on his dad yet, but he wouldn't complain that someone had caught his eye.


End file.
